Sports Update » Tulsahttp://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate
Blogging special sports events and storiesSun, 02 Aug 2015 20:20:37 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.22013 Rice football schedulehttp://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2013/01/2013-rice-football-schedule/
http://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2013/01/2013-rice-football-schedule/#commentsWed, 30 Jan 2013 21:12:31 +0000http://blog.chron.com/owls/?p=9494Rice, which is coming off its first bowl appearance in four years, will open Conference USA play at home against Florida Atlantic on Sept. 28, the league announced Wednesday.

Rice will open the season Aug. 31 against Texas A&M and Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel in College Station. The annual Bayou Bucket with crosstown rival Houston is set for Sept. 21 at Reliant Stadium.

The Owls beat Air Force 33-14 in the Armed Forces Bowl to finish 7-6 last season.

• Series history: Series tied 21-21. Houston has won six of the last seven meetings at home.

• Scouting report: Tulsa is coming off a 75-72 loss at Tulane. … Forward Rashad Smith leads the Golden Hurricane in scoring with 14.5 points per game but has missed the last 15 games with a leg injury. … Freshman guard James Woodard is averaging 13.2 points and a team-leading 5.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists. He had 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting against Tulane. … Guard Pat Swilling Jr., whose father was a linebacker with the New Orleans Saints, is third on the team at 10.1 points. … Head coach Danny Manning is in his first season. Manning played on Kansas’ 1988 national championship team.

• Houston update: The Cougars have lost their last three Conference USA games, the latest 79-75 in overtime to UCF on Saturday. UH has blown second-half leads in the last two losses to East Carolina and UCF. Forward Danuel House picked up his third C-USA freshman of the week award Monday after posting his first career double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds against UCF. He is averaging a team-best 17.3 points in conference play. … Forward TaShawn Thomas is sixth in C-USA in scoring (15.9) and second in rebounding (9.8). He has posted seven double-doubles this season. … Guard Joseph Young is fourth in C-USA with 17 points per game. … Forward Leon Gibson is averaging 13 points and 6.5 rebounds in the last two games. … Point guard play continues to be a problem for the Cougars. In the last game, J.J. Thompson and Tione Womack combined for two points, five assists and six turnovers. … Houston leads C-USA in scoring (77.8 points) but ranks 10th out of 12 teams in scoring defense (69.4). The Cougars are second in rebounding with an average 40.6 per game.

• Up next: The Cougars play UAB at 5 p.m. Saturday at Hofheniz Pavilion.

Before we dive into the picks, it’s time for me to offer my Week 11 prediction for the Houston game:

Tulsa 42, Houston 28.

Give me your prediction.

Games

JD

David S.

Russell K.

MendozaCOOG

Tulsa at Houston

Tulsa

Houston

Houston

Tulsa

Tulane at Memphis

Tulane

Memphis

Tulane

Tulane

Marshall at UAB

Marshall

Marshall

Marshall

UAB

Southern Miss at SMU

SMU

SMU

SMU

SMU

UCF at UTEP

UCF

UCF

UCF

UCF

Iowa State at (17) Texas

Texas

Texas

Texas

Texas

(15) Texas A&M at (1) Alabama

Alabama

Alabama

Alabama

Alabama

(2) Kansas State at TCU

Kansas State

Kansas State

Kansas State

Kansas State

Baylor at (12) Oklahoma

Oklahoma

Oklahoma

Oklahoma

Oklahoma

Kansas at (22) Texas Tech

Texas Tech

Texas Tech

Texas Tech

Texas Tech

West Virginia at Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State

(21) Mississippi State at (7) LSU

LSU

LSU

LSU

LSU

(11) Oregon State at (14) Stanford

Stanford

Stanford

Stanford

Oregon State

Missouri at Tennessee

Tennessee

Tennessee

Tennessee

Tennessee

Penn State at (16)Nebraska

Nebraska

Nebraska

Nebraska

Nebraska

Last week:

10-5

8-7

10-5

10-5

Season:

111-36

108-39

112-35

105-42

Games

Andrew M.

Jared S.

Justin S.

Steve G.

Tulsa at Houston

Tulsa

Tulsa

Tulsa

Tulsa

Tulane at Memphis

Memphis

Tulane

Tulane

Tulane

Marshall at UAB

Marshall

Marshall

Marshall

Marshall

Southern Miss at SMU

SMU

SMU

SMU

SMU

UCF at UTEP

UCF

UCF

UCF

UCF

Iowa State at (17) Texas

Texas

Texas

Texas

Texas

(15) Texas A&M at (1) Alabama

Alabama

Alabama

Alabama

Alabama

(2) Kansas State at TCU

Kansas State

Kansas State

TCU

Kansas State

Baylor at (12) Oklahoma

Oklahoma

Oklahoma

Oklahoma

Oklahoma

Kansas at (22) Texas Tech

Texas Tech

Texas Tech

Texas Tech

Texas Tech

West Virginia at Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State

(21) Mississippi State at (7) LSU

LSU

LSU

LSU

LSU

(11) Oregon State at (14) Stanford

Oregon State

Stanford

Stanford

Stanford

Missouri at Tennessee

Tennessee

Tennessee

Tennessee

Tennessee

Penn State at (16) Nebraska

Nebraska

Penn State

Nebraska

Nebraska

Last week:

10-5

11-4

9-6

11-4

Season:

115-32

102-45

89-58

112-35

Games

Beaton100

Dustin R.

Bull Texan

Tulsa at Houston

Tulsa

Tulsa

Tulsa

Tulane at Memphis

Memphis

Tulane

Memphis

Marshall at UAB

UAB

Marshall

Marshall

Southern Miss at SMU

SMU

SMU

SMU

UCF at UTEP

UCF

UCF

UCF

Iowa State at (17) Texas

Texas

Texas

Texas

(15) Texas A&M at (1) Alabama

Alabama

Alabama

Alabama

(2) Kansas State at TCU

Kansas State

Kansas State

Kansas State

Baylor at (12) Oklahoma

Oklahoma

Oklahoma

Oklahoma

Kansas at (22) Texas Tech

Texas Tech

Texas Tech

Texas Tech

West Virginia at Oklahoma State

West Virginia

Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State

(21) Mississippi State at (7) LSU

LSU

LSU

LSU

(11) Oregon State at (14) Stanford

Stanford

Stanford

Stanford

Missouri at Tennessee

Tennessee

Tennessee

Missouri

Penn State at (16) Nebraska

Nebraska

Nebraska

Nebraska

Last week:

9-6

12-3

9-6

Season:

102-45

113-34

106-41

]]>http://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2012/11/week-11-pick-em-cougars-look-to-slow-down-golden-hurricane/feed/19Behind Enemy Lines: Tulsahttp://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2012/11/behind-enemy-lines-tulsa/
http://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2012/11/behind-enemy-lines-tulsa/#commentsThu, 08 Nov 2012 17:06:12 +0000http://blog.chron.com/cougars/?p=9078
Tulsa beat writer Bill Haisten of the Tulsa World answers five questions in advance of Saturday’s game against Houston.]]>This week’s segment is with Tulsa beat writer Bill Haisten of the Tulsa World. You can read his blog here and follow him on Twitter here. The Cougars and Golden Hurricane meet at 4 p.m. Saturday at Robertson Stadium.

1. How has Tulsa been so effective getting to the quarterback (third nationally with 36 sacks) this season?

Hurricane defensive coordinator Brent Guy hasn’t resorted to excessive blitzing. Of Tulsa’s 36 sacks, 19.5 were recorded by linemen. Tulsa just happens to have a collection of skilled pass-rush guys – including the interior linemen. End Jared St. John is a fifth-year senior and a first-year starter. A former walk-on. He’s got seven sacks. No one saw that coming.

2. What are the Golden Hurricane’s strengths and weaknesses on offense?

The most glaring weakness is an inconsistent passing game. During the first half at Arkansas, Cody Green was 15-of-18. During the second half, he was 7-of-19. He had similar numbers at Iowa State. Keyarris Garrett is a 6-foot-4, dynamic wide receiver and a very difficult coverage assignment for most corners, but he has been underused. He had 12 catches at Arkansas, but in three games before that he had a combined total of eight receptions. Tulsa’s offensive line has been brilliant. While allowing only five sacks in nine games, the linemen have paved the way for a rushing attack that averages 233 yards per game and 5.1 per attempt.

3. What are the Golden Hurricane’s strengths and weaknesses on defense?

During a three-game stretch, TU had terrible coverage problems. UAB, Marshall and UTEP popped the Hurricane for 22 pass plays of at least 15 yards. The coverage issues have been mostly resolved since then, but Arkansas did convert on some big pass plays last week. Most of the front-seven guys are excellent tacklers. The interior starters, Daeshon Bufford and Derrick Jackson, have been very good. Ends Jared St. John and Cory Dorris consistently generate pass-rush pressure. DeAundre Brown has started at each of the three linebacker positions and ranks among national leaders in sacks and total tackles. He is an extremely legitimate candidate for the C-USA defensive player of the year award.

4. How do you see Tulsa’s final month of the regular season playing out with remaining games against Houston, UCF and SMU?

In a streak that began in 2010 at Houston, Tulsa has recorded seven consecutive Conference USA road victories. In its last 17 league games, Tulsa is 16-1. The Hurricane was deflated by its wasted opportunity at Arkansas last week, but a win at Houston would reestablish momentum before the Nov. 17 showdown with UCF. Even on TU’s home turf, that game is a toss-up. UCF appears to be the best team on Tulsa’s schedule. Depending on what happens against the Cougars and UCF, Tulsa’s Nov. 24 date at SMU could be very meaningful as it pertains to the West Division standings.

5. Finish this sentence: For the Golden Hurricane to beat the Cougars they must __________.

Tulsa is at its best when Garrett is involved in the passing game and when tailbacks Alex Singleton and Ja’Terian Douglas get a combined total of at least 20 carries. Trey Watts is a talented tailback and a nice receiver out of the backfield, but Singleton is a touchdown machine and Douglas is a big-play specialist. Tulsa is plus-5 on turnovers. Houston is minus-6. If it comes down to needing a field goal, Tulsa could be in trouble. Freshman Daniel Schwarz has missed on each of his last three attempts, and he also failed to convert on two extra-point kicks at Arkansas.

• About the Golden Hurricane: The Golden Hurricane had their seven-game winning streak snapped with a non-conference loss to Arkansas. … Tulsa has won 16 of its last 17 Conference USA games. They are bowl eligible for the eighth time in the last 10 seasons. Tulsa is third in Football Bowl Subdivision with 36 sacks and 79 tackles for loss. The Golden Hurricane lead C-USA in rushing (232.9) and run defense (122.7) and are second in scoring offense (36.8), scoring defense (24.9) and total defense (385.4).

• Players to watch: Tulsa ranks 15th nationally in rushing with an average 232.9 yards per game. RB Ja’Terian Douglas is sixth in C-USA with 721 yards and six touchdowns and Trey Watts has 588 yards and three touchdowns. Watts also averages 34.1 yards on kickoff returns, second-best in conference. … Alex Singleton is the team’s short-yardage back and has 493 yards and conference-best 16 rushing touchdowns. … Quarterback Cody Green, a Nebraska transfer, is 10-2 as a starting quarterback. Green, who missed the Rice game three weeks with a shoulder injury, is completing 53.3 percent of his passes for 1,551 yards with 10 touchdowns and six interceptions. … Wide receiver Keyarris Garrett leads the team with 40 receptions for 537 yards and five touchdowns. He had 12 receptions Saturday against Arkansas. … H-back Willie Carter is the second on the team with 29 receptions for 242 yards and two touchdowns. … Linebacker DeAundre Brown is third in C-USA with eight sacks and fourth with 14 tackles for loss. … Defensive end Jared St. John is tied for fourth in sacks with seven and has eight tackles for loss. … Defensive back Dexter McCoil was on the preseason watch lists for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as the nation’s top defensive player and Jim Thorpe Award as the nation’s top defensive back. He has three interceptions.

Before we dive into the picks, it’s time for me to offer my Week 10 predictions for the Houston and Rice games:

Houston 42, East Carolina 38.

Rice 38, Tulane 31.

Give me your predictions.

Games

JD

David S.

Russell K.

MendozaCOOG

Houston at East Carolina

Houston

Houston

Houston

Houston

Rice at Tulane

Rice

Tulane

Tulane

Rice

SMU at UCF

UCF

UCF

UCF

UCF

Tulsa at Arkansas

Arkansas

Arkansas

Arkansas

Tulsa

Memphis at Marshall

Marshall

Marshall

Marshall

Marshall

UAB at Southern Miss

Southern Miss

Southern Miss

Southern Miss

Southern Miss

Texas at Texas Tech

Texas Tech

Texas Tech

Texas Tech

Texas Tech

Texas A&M at Mississippi State

Mississippi State

Mississippi State

Texas A&M

Texas A&M

Kansas at Baylor

Baylor

Baylor

Baylor

Baylor

TCU at West Virginia

West Virginia

West Virginia

West Virginia

West Virginia

Oklahoma State at Kansas State

Kansas State

Kansas State

Kansas State

Kansas State

Alabama at LSU

Alabama

Alabama

Alabama

Alabama

Oregon at Southern Cal

Oregon

Oregon

Oregon

Oregon

Penn State at Purdue

Penn State

Penn State

Penn State

Penn State

Nebraska at Michigan State

Nebraska

Michigan State

Nebraska

Nebraska

Last week:

10-5

11-4

10-5

11-4

Season:

101-31

100-32

102-30

95-37

Games

Andrew M.

Jared S.

Justin S.

Steve G.

Houston at East Carolina

Houston

East Carolina

Houston

Houston

Rice at Tulane

Rice

Rice

Rice

Rice

SMU at UCF

UCF

UCF

UCF

UCF

Tulsa at Arkansas

Arkansas

Arkansas

Arkansas

Arkansas

Memphis at Marshall

Marshall

Marshall

Marshall

Marshall

UAB at Southern Miss

Southern Miss

Southern Miss

Southern Miss

Southern Miss

Texas at Texas Tech

Texas Tech

Texas Tech

Texas Tech

Texas Tech

Texas A&M at Mississippi State

Texas A&M

Texas A&M

Texas A&M

Texas A&M

Kansas at Baylor

Baylor

Baylor

Baylor

Baylor

TCU at West Virginia

West Virginia

West Virginia

West Virginia

West Virginia

Oklahoma State at Kansas State

Kansas State

Kansas State

Kansas State

Kansas State

Alabama at LSU

Alabama

Alabama

Alabama

Alabama

Oregon at Southern Cal

Oregon

Oregon

Oregon

Oregon

Penn State at Purdue

Penn State

Penn State

Purdue

Penn State

Nebraska at Michigan State

Michigan State

Michigan State

Michigan State

Nebraska

Last week:

13-2

10-5

11-4

11-4

Season:

105-27

91-41

80-52

101-31

Games

Beaton100

Dustin R.

Bull Texan

Houston at East Carolina

Houston

East Carolina

Houston

Rice at Tulane

Rice

Rice

Rice

SMU at UCF

UCF

UCF

UCF

Tulsa at Arkansas

Arkansas

Arkansas

Tulsa

Memphis at Marshall

Marshall

Marshall

Marshall

UAB at Southern Miss

Southern Miss

Southern Miss

Southern Miss

Texas at Texas Tech

Texas Tech

Texas

Texas Tech

Texas A&M at Mississippi State

Texas A&M

Mississippi State

Mississippi State

Kansas at Baylor

Baylor

Baylor

Baylor

TCU at West Virginia

West Virginia

West Virginia

West Virginia

Oklahoma State at Kansas State

Kansas State

Kansas State

Kansas State

Alabama at LSU

LSU

Alabama

Alabama

Oregon at Southern Cal

Oregon

Oregon

Oregon

Penn State at Purdue

Penn State

Penn State

Penn State

Nebraska at Michigan State

Michigan State

Nebraska

Nebraska

Last week:

10-5

8-7

9-6

Season:

93-39

101-31

97-35

]]>http://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2012/11/week-10-pick-em-cougars-enter-tough-november-stretch/feed/20GameDay Central: Owls falter late in 28-24 loss to Tulsahttp://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2012/10/gameday-central-owls-go-for-upset-bid-against-golden-hurricane-in-tulsa/
http://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2012/10/gameday-central-owls-go-for-upset-bid-against-golden-hurricane-in-tulsa/#commentsSat, 20 Oct 2012 19:24:18 +0000http://blog.chron.com/owls/?p=8915
Ja’Terian Douglas, left, had a 75-yard run late in the fourth quarter to set up the game-winning touchdown for Tulsa.]]>Final: Tulsa 28, Rice 24

Tulsa, Okla. – Ja’Terian Douglas broke loose for a 75-yard run to set up a 1-yard run by Alex Singleton late in the fourth quarter as Tulsa rallied for a 28-24 win over the Owls.

The Owls held a 24-21 lead when Chris Boswell was wide left on a 35-yard field goal attempt, his third miss of the game.

The loss was the 14th consecutive Conference USA road loss for the Owls dating back to 2008.

Halftime: Rice 21, Tulsa 14

Tulsa, Okla. – Through two quarters, the Owls are flirting with an upset against Conference USA West leader Tulsa.

Taylor McHargue ran for a touchdown and threw for another to give Rice a 21-14 halftime lead.

The Owls have lost five straight to Tulsa.

With the teams tied at 14, McHargue took off on a draw and ran 20 yards for the touchdown.
Tulsa, which is playing without injured quarterback Cody Green, answered with a quick three-play, 65-yard drive that took only 54 seconds. Backup quarterback Kalen Henderson hooked up with Thomas Roberson for a 33-yard completion and Ja’Terian Douglas broke loose for a 28-yard touchdown run.

The Owls regained the lead with a 9-play, 75-yard drive. McHargue threw a 31-yard pass to Turner Petersen, a 14-yard pass to Sam McGuffie and 11-yard pass to Jordan Taylor, who made a nice one-handed grab. That set up McHargue’s 8-yard pass over the middle to tight end Luke Willson. It was Willson’s first touchdown catch since the Aug. 30 season opener against UCLA.

Tulsa threatened midway through the second quarter when Henderson completed a 44-yard pass to Keyarris Garrett. Later in the drive, the Owls stopped Alex Singleton for no gain on fourth down-and-2 at the Rice 26.

The Golden Hurricane drove to the Rice 14-yard line with less than six minutes remaining before halftime. Daniel Schwarz missed wide left on the 31-yard attempt.

• • •

First quarter: Rice 7, Tulsa 7

Tulsa, Okla. – The Owls took advantage of a blocked punt for a touchdown and a strong defensive effort for a 7-7 tie after the first quarter at H.A. Chapman Stadium.

Sam McGuffie found a lane and blocked Cole Way’s punt, returning it 12 yards for an early 7-0 lead. The return ended a 172-game streak – dating back to Nov. 8, 1997, against TCU – without a return for a touchdown.

Alex Singleton tied the game for Tulsa with a 1-yard run. The Golden Hurricane had 92 of their 109 yards on the ground in the quarter.

Tulsa enters the game with a six-game winning streak and leads Conference USA’s West Division at 4-0.

The Owls defense forced two punts and safety Julius White had an interception.